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Magic
Magic is the ability possessed by some individuals to manipulate the ambient energies of the world to produce desired results. In the greater universe, arcane magic is commonly referred to as "the Art", while divine magic is referred to as "the Power". The god Selufron controls the Weave, the main source of arcane energies throughout Djorig. Divine magic is drawn from specific deities and is not directly influenced by Selufron, as evidenced by the fact it continues to work even when arcane magic ceases to function, such as zones of wild magic and when prevented by fluctuations in other realms. History Types of Magic Divine Divine Magic, or The Power, is magic granted from prayer to the gods. The Gods are inherently magical, being birthed by the merging of the Weave and the Astral Sea, and grant their worshipers a portion of their inherent ability to access that power. While divine magic could not function without the Weave, spellcasters who use divine magic have no ability to manipulate the Weave directly, as the magic isn't being directly influenced by those practitioners but instead by their deity. Clerics, druids, rangers, and paladins predominantly used this type of magic. Although in actuality, druids receive their power directly from a patron deity, they have often thought of this power as coming directly from nature. Most druids gather power either unknowingly or indirectly from the Twin Gods Vaers and Vinkeg, who oversee the Green, the delicate balance of the world's ecosystem. When a divine spellcaster uses such magical power granted to them by their deity, often a tangible feeling of appreciation is felt by the caster, manifesting in different ways depending on the patron of the practitioner. Arcane Any magic that doesn't originate from a deity is defined as arcane magic. While all magic is accessed through the Weave, which is maintained by a deity, this does not make all spells divine magic. The use of arcane magic is referred to in day-to-day speech as simply magic, and a wide variety of people are able to influence the Weave to a smaller or larger extent, though the way in which they access the Weave can differ dramatically. Most wizards spend long years researching their art, gathering spells to their personal book, and each day they can only memorize a small fraction of these. The memory of the spell is wiped from their mind as it is cast. The wizard has to re-study the spell before he or she can cast it again. Sorcerers are not required to research spells. They tap the Weave in a more direct manner, but because of this, the selection of spells available to a sorcerer is more limited than that available to a wizard, though they are often able to power more spells before the mental and physical strain becomes too much for them. The source of this ability to influence the Weave comes from many sources, whether through the influence of wild magic, from a draconic ancestor, or the blessing of an outsider. Bards make use of musical performances, the echoes of the notes of creation, to direct and guide power from the Weave into whatever effect they wish. Like Sorcerers, they do not have access to a spellbook from which they gather their spells, but are able to hear the underlying music of the world and gather the notes needed to be played for a spell to be cast. Warlocks are an interesting exception to the classic rule of arcane users. Unlike the other examples, they do not gain their power through in-depth study nor are they born with the ability to harness The Art; Warlocks instead gather their power through pacts made with patrons. They give up something as the basis of a deal with a Patron; whether that be some long forgotten god, a devilish outsider, a trickster archfae, or some powerful dragon; who then grants them the ability to access the Weave and empower their own spells. Schools Schools of magic are categories into which spells were organized by general function. Spells are categorized by arcane casters with these schools in mind, though divine spells fell within these preset categories as well. Still, there were also some spells that defied categorization within a school. Some spellcasters (mostly wizards) chose to specialize in spells from a certain school; they focused more effort into these spells than any other, but at the expense of all spells from one or more other schools. Most schools of magic also have subschools that help define the spells with even more accuracy. The major schools of magic are as follows: Abjuration Spells of protection, whether by physical or magical barriers, negating magical or physical effects, or even banishing to other planes of existence. Wizards that specialize in abjuration magic are known as an abjurer. Conjuration Spells that create or transport people, energy or objects. Most common of the subschools under conjuration are Healing, Summoning and Teleportation. Wizards that master conjuration magic are known as a conjurer. Divination Spells that allow the caster to see things that they normally wouldn't be able to. Sometimes called the weakest of the schools, the most common version of divination is scrying. Wizards that study divination magic are known as a diviner. Enchantment Spells that affect the minds of other creatures, usually with the focus of controlling or manipulating. Included within the Enchantment school is charm and compulsion spells. Most civilized locations do not allow for Enchantment magics in the public, for fear of the mind-altering effects. Wizards that focus in enchantment magic are known as enchanters. Evocation Spells that create energy out of the raw power of the Weave. The most iconic magical school, made popular by the Fireball and Lightning Bolt spells. Some consider it the strongest of the magical schools, but some arcane practitioners scoff at the mere idea, considering it simple and single-minded. Wizards that are adept in evocation magic are known as evokers. Illusion Spells to fool the senses or minds of others. They can be used to cause people to sense things that are not there, or to not sense things that are there, influence memory, or in one specific case, even change reality itself. Masters of Illusion magic are known as Illusionists. Necromancy Spells that deal with positive energy, negative energy, and both the living and the dead. Though the majority of the school is used to create undead, and is most infamous for being associated with Liches, there are a number of spells that are used to revive the dead to fully living beings. Practicers of Necromancy magic are known as Necromancers. Transmutation Spells that can transform the nature of the physical world or objects in it. The most famous of spells within the transmutation school is Polymorph. Wizards that practice transmutation magic are known as a transmuters. Universal A small number of spells was not associated with any school but universally available, even to specialists. One of the most powerful of spells, Wish, is a universal school spell. Raw Magic Raw magic is the basic essence of magic. it is the raw essence of the Weave. It is a fundamental force and form of energy that perfuses every single thing within the Outer Realms as well as the Prime-Material Plane. Also known as passive magic, raw magic is the cause of many magical effects that break fundamental physical laws. Magical creatures and abominations such as Beholders, effectively floating eyeballs, or dragons, whose wings shouldn't be able to uphold their bodies nor should they be able to breath flame or lightning, are only able to exist due to the existence of raw magic. Even in zones of Dead Magic or places where wild magic flood, things powered by this passive magic are not affected. Selufron is tasked with watching over and imbedding this force into all matter and ensuring that the balance of the weave does not destabilize the neighboring Astral Sea. Generally, mortals are not able to access or influence raw magic, those who have attempted to harness it found it a potent but very dangerous force, easily able to obliterate them despite their cautions. The only known modern use of raw magic that hasn't caused the absolute destruction of the user is the Stonemender, Dougiul Steelforged, who has somehow harnessed raw magic in the place of souls to power his golems. Wild Magic Zones where the connection to the Weave is damaged causing dramatic fluxes in reality as the energy no longer properly resonates with the matter around it. In such areas, spells can be affected in a number of ways; backfiring upon the caster, amplifying to impossible levels, targeting the wrong thing, or even completely unintended effects. Generally such zones come about due to great disasters. Sometimes, wild magic can be infused into mortal beings, causing empowered sorcerers. Though these casters can cast even stronger spells than their peers, the magic is just as unstable as wild magic zones, and just as dangerous for the caster. Casting Verbal Component Many spells require the caster to speak certain words, or, in the case of a bard, create music, to cast a spell. Being prevented from speaking, such as a gag, or effects that remove sounds, such as certain magical effects, makes it impossible for a caster to cast such a spell. A deafened caster may fail when casting a spell, by misspeaking, which causes the spell to be lost. Somatic Component Many spells require the caster to make a motion to cast the spell. If the caster is unable to make the correct motion, the spell cannot be cast. Wearing armor or using a shield interferes with the somatic components of arcane spells, creating a risk of spell failure. Bards and some other arcane classes can cast spells in light armor without this risk. Material Component Casting a spell often requires that the caster sacrifice some sort of material component. Often, these components are virtually worthless, but some spells, such as spells to raise the dead, require material components costing thousands of gold pieces. If a caster is unable to access or use the correct spell component, the spell cannot be cast. As the spell is cast, the material component is destroyed, so it is not reusable in any way. Magical Focus Alternatively, casting a spell may require that the caster have access to a holy symbol or other special object, to focus on when casting the spell. This is mostly true for divine spells. Foci are not damaged during the casting process and are reusable. Ritual Casting A ritual is a complex ceremony, that invokes a certain magical effect. Rituals are as old as magic itself, and is one of the oldest forms of directing magical power.